Girls flag football goes varsity in Kansas
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Girls flag football has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country, and Kansas is playing its first varsity season this fall.
Why it matters: Three years ago, three Kansas high schools had teams. Now nearly 50 are competing for a state title in a sport most of their schools didn't offer when this year's seniors were freshmen.
Driving the news: The Kansas State High School Activities Association voted 61-1 in April to sanction the sport after a Chiefs-led "Let Her Play" petition drew around 11,000 signatures.
- The team count nearly doubled to 49 for the first official season, with programs concentrated in Johnson, Wyandotte and Sedgwick counties.
- Varsity status means official playoffs, a championship in Wichita next month and a push for districts to fund coaches, uniforms and travel.
Across the state line, Missouri is a year behind but gaining fast. Seventy schools registered to play girls flag football this year, up from around 50 in April, the Missouri State High School Activities Association tells Axios.
- The sport is "provisionally interscholastic," a status for emerging sports that hit 50 schools across at least three board districts for two straight years. Member schools vote on full sanctioning in April 2027.
- If it passes, Missouri's first state championship would come in the 2027-28 school year, likely during the spring season.
What they're saying: "We have a lot of confidence that we'll have the support across the state of Missouri to open doors to girls across the Show-Me State to play sanctioned flag football by the 2027-28 school year," Sheila Sickau, the Chiefs' director of football development, tells Axios.
- The team has hired a consultant with decades of high school sports experience to keep expanding the sport in both states, she says.
Zoom out: More than 100,000 girls played high school flag football nationwide last year, a 551% jump in four years, and 23 states plus D.C. now sanction it.
- The NFL has poured millions into high school programs, and at least 40 NCAA schools already field varsity teams.
- The sport will debut at the 2028 Olympics.
Reality check: It's not clear whether flag football is creating new athletes or pulling girls from other sports. A Newsday analysis found flag participation climbing while girls lacrosse, softball and track fell.
What's next: Kansas crowns its first champion next month, and Missouri schools vote on full sanctioning in April.